Cue Specifications

Specifies the settings of the current cue. The options available vary with the kind of media that is controlled by the cue. To open a cue’s specifications dialog box, select the cue and choose “Specifications” on the Edit menu, or simply double-click the cue.

In-Time

Specifies a starting offset for a sound or movie. For example, a certain movie may have ten seconds of black at the beginning. To skip those ten seconds, set the in-time to 10.

Anchor Position

Determines the position of the image anchor, relative to the upper left corner of the image. The anchor of a selected cue is displayed as a crossed circle in the Stage window. When scaling or rotating an image, the anchor specifies the point that remains stationary.

HINT: A checkbox in the Preferences dialog box determines the initial position of the anchor point for new cues (see “Center Anchor Position”).

Initial Stage Position

If the cue does not have a Position tween track, this Initial Stage Position controls its media position on stage. Otherwise, this is the position of the first tween point. Changing this position moves the entire motion path, if any.

HINT: To move the position and motion paths of a set of cues, first select the cues, then choose Move on the Edit menu.

Locate Media

Locates the associated item in the Media window, automatically opening any enclosing folder.

HINT: Double-clicking a cue on a timeline while pressing the Alt key opens its associated media item. This shortcut is particularly handy when you want to open a Composition associated with a cue, as it allows you to go straight from the cue into the Composition.

Pre-Roll

Some cues need to be pre-loaded and prepared a few seconds ahead of their appearance. When set to “Automatic”, this time is calculated automatically. This is the preferred setting in most cases. However, certain media files may require extensive computer resources when prepared. This may have an adverse effect on already visible, moving media. Although this is unavoidable, you may be able to reduce the impact by moving the moment when the preparation occurs backwards to a more appropriate time.

When specifying the pre-roll time manually, a pre-roll indicator appears in the timeline window. Adjust the pre-roll time by dragging the start of this indicator.

Cue Color

Displays the current color of the cue. Clicking the color indicator brings up a color selection dialog in which a new color for the cue can be chosen. To reset a cue to the default color of the cue type, click the Reset button. For more information about default colors of cue types, see the “Cue Colors” tab in the preferences window.